Is it just me, or is it unimaginable to NOT have Steam nowadays?

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: HamburgerBoy

Originally posted by: archcommus
No game is required to be purchased to use Steam, and if you're complaining about HL2's cost, well, then, uh....

If you buy the boxed version you can't register it with Steam, can you?

Of course you can! Just open it up, go to Activate product, and type in your key.

Originally posted by: Malak
I've said this a million times and I'll say it again. You don't need Steam to download games, patches, or reduce piracy. People have been downloading games for years(downloaded my first game in 1997), patches can be set to auto-update everytime you play the game(without a seperate program that slows it down), and it hasn't helped at all in reducing piracy.

Steam doesn't help us, it's nothing new, and it's a pain in the ass.

Obviously you don't NEED Steam to digitially distribute games, or to distribute patches, or to reduce piracy. But offer me one method of downloading modern games that DOESN'T require some sort of GUI. You can't. Show me a method that makes updating easier or more streamlined or more consistent. You can't.

You look quite foolish by saying Steam doesn't help and that it's nothing new, because it is new, and it obviously has reduced piracy at least a tad and is much much better for patching.

Originally posted by: xtknight
It's a steaming pile of ****. It sure did "revolutionize the industry" for me, making it practically inoperable.

Freezes every time I start it, hangs CPU for about 5 minutes, making it impossible to play games until that grace period of crappyness expires. Reminds me how much I hate that stupid piece of crap. Its disadvantages far outweigh its advantages. The interface has stupid quirks. For example, if you add an IP address to the server list you don't know which one just appeared or if it already existed in there. Real helpful. :roll: A game this popular should have decent interfacing software. Any code monkey could have made something more apt. I have had more problems with Steam than Battlefield 2.

Hey, FYI, just because you have some issues with something doesn't mean it's sh!t. A large majority of the gaming population has none of the issues you mentioned. So because you do Valve doesn't know what they're doing? Ever consider that you don't know what you're doing?

 

[Powermoloch]

steam :thumbsdown:

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Hey, FYI, just because you have some issues with something doesn't mean it's sh!t. A large majority of the gaming population has none of the issues you mentioned. So because you do Valve doesn't know what they're doing? Ever consider that you don't know what you're doing?

Plenty of people have problems with Steam. Just ask around.

I don't get what point you're trying to make. I realize some people have no problems with it, but some people still do. You wanted my opinion on Steam and I gave it to you. The only reason I like it is because I don't have to go to fileplanet and download patches through 'subscription only' download sites. Otherwise it does nothing for me, and I don't want it to propagate the industry.

Maybe a patch breaks something? (like that hasn't happened before) Why would I want to keep it or wait for them to fix it instead of use an older patch for the interim? I have no choice with Steam but to completely reinstall HL2 over again. When all I want to do is play Lost Coast, Steam shouldn't have to update itself. I want to play the game. That's the main thing that pisses me off.

Isn't it right you have to use Steam to play HL2 at all? I can only imagine how it is for dial-up users.

To me, Steam seems more and more great every day. However I am not saying I wish something like it existed for ALL games because, quite frankly, most games do not necessitate such a service. However Half-Life, with its huge community, and with such an active developer, definitely reaps tons of benefits with such a system. I don't really understand how you can actively use HL2, its mods, it's multiplayer, and possibly even map for it, and still wish that Steam didn't exist.

The original Half Life was just fine without Steam, and I'm pretty sure CS started before Steam did. So I don't see your point. What do developers get out of Steam? Valve has excellent mapping documentation but that still has nothing to do with Steam. I have used HL2, its mods, it's multiplayer, have practiced mapping for many games including HL2, and I still hate Steam. So I was in a bad mood when I wrote my previous post. I just think you need to accept other peoples' opinions and stop praising it like the second coming of Christ. To me it's just a middle-man that provides little, exaggerated benefit and more trouble than necessary. Besides, how do you know it reduces piracy? Crackers/hackers like a challenge. What if the whole Steam system was hacked and anyone could download any Steam-powered game because of one little hole? Tell me how it reduces piracy again.

Obviously you don't NEED Steam to digitially distribute games, or to distribute patches, or to reduce piracy. But offer me one method of downloading modern games that DOESN'T require some sort of GUI. You can't. Show me a method that makes updating easier or more streamlined or more consistent. You can't.

apt-get/yum/emerge in Linux, all very popular tools. There's nothing preventing you from putting games on there for the Linux masses. And it's not a GUI. All you have to do is type yum install or yum update and it does everything for you. And only when you tell it to too. Software is my slave, not my master.

That brings me to another thing. Steam does not work on Linux or MacOS and they seem to have no intention of making it so. It sure is a great way of isolating games to Windows only. Then you'll say it's not worth it. Figure in the cumulative amount of people that would want to play any Steam-powered game on another operating system. UT2K4 and Quake 4 support Linux, the next Wolfenstein is very likely to, and probably the new Unreal 3 engine-based games as well.

Then what would happen when Valve has control of tons of games with Steam? Will they make you pay subscription fees? It will become a monopoly.

Regardless of our obviously differing opinions on Steam, happy holidays. :beer:

 

[spunkz]

of course dial-up users hate steam. i can't imagine that it was designed in any way to accomodate them. besides, you probably won't enjoy their games on dial-up either, so get broadband or get over it. once you have a game installed you can always log in to steam using the offline mode if you're so desperate to avoid updates.

i happen to really appreciate steam, and i've been using it through all its buggy releases, but i don't play 24/7 anymore. for me, i just log on a few times a week to find some new feature or update installing without the hassle or endless waiting in line for the fileplanet servers like i used to go through. i can't say how stable it is in the hour or two after their weekly updates, but at least you can avoid those times, unlike the random total breakdowns on CAL match nights during the WON days. granted, they didn't have to publicly release steam while it was still totally unreliable and force the public to undergo a full-scale beta test, BUT it has turned out okay in the end.

that or after playing WoW anything seems perfectly stable.

 

[IdaGno]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Valve comes out with updates practically every freaking other day, a lot of them offering tons of great benefits (for example, just released the 64-bit version of the Source engine). Imagine, if Steam did not exist, every update we so happily get immediately would have to be put off for months until some mammoth 100 MB update came out, just like how it is for all other games.

To me, Steam seems more and more great every day. However I am not saying I wish something like it existed for ALL games because, quite frankly, most games do not necessitate such a service. However Half-Life, with its huge community, and with such an active developer, definitely reaps tons of benefits with such a system. I don't really understand how you can actively use HL2, its mods, it's multiplayer, and possibly even map for it, and still wish that Steam didn't exist.

I've now lived long enough that even I have to agree w/this.

 

[The Green Bean]

It also uses 100% CPU when updating which is uselessly annoying!

 

[spaceman]

i had steam on my main exactly the amount of time it took me to get sick of hl2 single player.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: archcommus
Hey, FYI, just because you have some issues with something doesn't mean it's sh!t. A large majority of the gaming population has none of the issues you mentioned. So because you do Valve doesn't know what they're doing? Ever consider that you don't know what you're doing?

Plenty of people have problems with Steam. Just ask around.

I don't get what point you're trying to make. I realize some people have no problems with it, but some people still do. You wanted my opinion on Steam and I gave it to you. The only reason I like it is because I don't have to go to fileplanet and download patches through 'subscription only' download sites. Otherwise it does nothing for me, and I don't want it to propagate the industry.

Maybe a patch breaks something? (like that hasn't happened before) Why would I want to keep it or wait for them to fix it instead of use an older patch for the interim? I have no choice with Steam but to completely reinstall HL2 over again. When all I want to do is play Lost Coast, Steam shouldn't have to update itself. I want to play the game. That's the main thing that pisses me off.

Isn't it right you have to use Steam to play HL2 at all? I can only imagine how it is for dial-up users.

To me, Steam seems more and more great every day. However I am not saying I wish something like it existed for ALL games because, quite frankly, most games do not necessitate such a service. However Half-Life, with its huge community, and with such an active developer, definitely reaps tons of benefits with such a system. I don't really understand how you can actively use HL2, its mods, it's multiplayer, and possibly even map for it, and still wish that Steam didn't exist.

The original Half Life was just fine without Steam, and I'm pretty sure CS started before Steam did. So I don't see your point. What do developers get out of Steam? Valve has excellent mapping documentation but that still has nothing to do with Steam. I have used HL2, its mods, it's multiplayer, have practiced mapping for many games including HL2, and I still hate Steam. So I was in a bad mood when I wrote my previous post. I just think you need to accept other peoples' opinions and stop praising it like the second coming of Christ. To me it's just a middle-man that provides little, exaggerated benefit and more trouble than necessary. Besides, how do you know it reduces piracy? Crackers/hackers like a challenge. What if the whole Steam system was hacked and anyone could download any Steam-powered game because of one little hole? Tell me how it reduces piracy again.

Obviously you don't NEED Steam to digitially distribute games, or to distribute patches, or to reduce piracy. But offer me one method of downloading modern games that DOESN'T require some sort of GUI. You can't. Show me a method that makes updating easier or more streamlined or more consistent. You can't.

apt-get/yum/emerge in Linux, all very popular tools. There's nothing preventing you from putting games on there for the Linux masses. And it's not a GUI. All you have to do is type yum install or yum update and it does everything for you. And only when you tell it to too. Software is my slave, not my master.

That brings me to another thing. Steam does not work on Linux or MacOS and they seem to have no intention of making it so. It sure is a great way of isolating games to Windows only. Then you'll say it's not worth it. Figure in the cumulative amount of people that would want to play any Steam-powered game on another operating system. UT2K4 and Quake 4 support Linux, the next Wolfenstein is very likely to, and probably the new Unreal 3 engine-based games as well.

Then what would happen when Valve has control of tons of games with Steam? Will they make you pay subscription fees? It will become a monopoly.

Regardless of our obviously differing opinions on Steam, happy holidays. :beer:

Your raise a couple good points. Happy holidays to you, as well.

Obviously Steam is hackable but I'm sure it has at least REDUCED piracy for HL2 in comparison to other popular titles. It encourages people to say "Ahh fvck it, I'll just buy it" when all they have to do is enter their CC number and download it, especially when Steam cracks are a little harder to find/use than your typical key-gen.

For me as a mapper Steam offers huge benefits in terms of continuity and consistency. It was so much of a pain having to find, download, and update so many individual 3rd party tools, while also keeping Hammer up to date and HL itself. Steam manages and updates all of it very nicely, and I can be assured that any player of my mod will have the EXACT same version of the game as it was created and tested on.

I sort of understand about the fear of a future monopoly but that has yet to be seen. Hopefully there will be competition and alternatives.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: The Green Bean
It also uses 100% CPU when updating which is uselessly annoying!

Yup...apparently I am not the only one who has this problem.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Obviously you don't NEED Steam to digitially distribute games, or to distribute patches, or to reduce piracy. But offer me one method of downloading modern games that DOESN'T require some sort of GUI. You can't. Show me a method that makes updating easier or more streamlined or more consistent. You can't.

You look quite foolish by saying Steam doesn't help and that it's nothing new, because it is new, and it obviously has reduced piracy at least a tad and is much much better for patching.

It hasn't reduced piracy at all. In the first week the game was available for download and steam was cracked. It has done nothing to fight piracy, it has only inconvenienced it's customers.

All the methods of downloading games I have seen have been a simple link to an ftp download of the game. No GUI or anything, just wait for it to finish and run it. I have no idea what you are referring to.

As far as patching goes, most games that have built-in patching are 10x more streamlined than Valve's process. It doesn't require another program to be installed, it doesn't require you to have this program ALWAYS ON(which slows the game down). Streamlined updating, although not used enough, has been around for a while and does a better job than Steam will ever do.

Again, Steam offers nothing new except a downgrade from what is already available to developers. All it is is a bloated software package that replaces publishers. Frankly, I prefer to purchase my games, box and all. I don't really care how much money the developers get, that is THEIR business to deal with, not mine.

 

[us3rnotfound]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: The Green Bean
It also uses 100% CPU when updating which is uselessly annoying!

Yup...apparently I am not the only one who has this problem.

Same here, annoying as hell

 

[CKent]

I don't have steam.

 

[PsharkJF]

I want WON for performance reasons

 

[DrZoidberg]

I've had good experiences with Steam. I dont have all the problems some people here and elsewhere are getting.

I think Valve, along with Blizzard run a very good stable free online gaming service.

I love the constant new patches on Steam, Valve develops. Sure they could have made it without Steam but then wont people get annoyed with having to patch every month instead of a automatic update? Not many companies provide so much added content free 1 year after release, like new maps with HDR lighting, Lost Coast expansion free, new CT and T models, cs_assault was a crazy update.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: DrZoidberg
I love the constant new patches on Steam, Valve develops. Sure they could have made it without Steam but then wont people get annoyed with having to patch every month instead of a automatic update? Not many companies provide so much added content free 1 year after release, like new maps with HDR lighting, Lost Coast expansion free, new CT and T models, cs_assault was a crazy update.

Content? What content? I saw a couple maps, that's it. Lost Coast isn't an expansion, it's a 5 minute tech demo. All the skins still look the same to me, while most FPS's you can distinguish yourself from each other.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: DrZoidberg
I love the constant new patches on Steam, Valve develops. Sure they could have made it without Steam but then wont people get annoyed with having to patch every month instead of a automatic update? Not many companies provide so much added content free 1 year after release, like new maps with HDR lighting, Lost Coast expansion free, new CT and T models, cs_assault was a crazy update.

Content? What content? I saw a couple maps, that's it. Lost Coast isn't an expansion, it's a 5 minute tech demo. All the skins still look the same to me, while most FPS's you can distinguish yourself from each other.

If you don't know what new content Valve has given you for FREE, you obviously haven't been playing all the games or reading the weekly news.

Honestly, stop bitching and appreciate what the company is doing for you. Unlike most where you have to wait six months to get one freaking patch that fixes a few bugs.

 

[BFG10K]

Steam is the sole reason why I won't purchase HL2.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Honestly, stop bitching and appreciate what the company is doing for you. Unlike most where you have to wait six months to get one freaking patch that fixes a few bugs.

I don't know wtf you are talking about. I've got nothing but a steaming pile of ****** from Valve. In fact, once I find my CD's, I plan on throwing them away.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: archcommus
Honestly, stop bitching and appreciate what the company is doing for you. Unlike most where you have to wait six months to get one freaking patch that fixes a few bugs.

I don't know wtf you are talking about. I've got nothing but a steaming pile of ****** from Valve. In fact, once I find my CD's, I plan on throwing them away.

Lol...now you're just being childish.

Oh well, your money, do what you wish.

And, rereading your posts, I noticed you never mentioned anything really about why Steam is actually bad, except for that it forces you to get updates, and that it forces you to connect and run in the background. Can you show me conclusive proof that Steam slows down HL2? How many times have you ACTUALLY had updates negatively affect your games? And how exactly does connecting with the client before playing hurt you?

So far you've really made no conclusive points. Saying that it hasn't reduced piracy and that it's nothing new and that it's not necessary is NOT proving in any way why Steam is actually bad.

 

[Caveman]

In all seriousness, what's STEAM?

Can someone give me a small 2-3 sentence concept?

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: Caveman
In all seriousness, what's STEAM?

Can someone give me a small 2-3 sentence concept?

its a lame as5 program you have to install that makes sure your game is updated, and you are using a purchased copy of the game.

why it sucks

1. you have to be connected to the internet if you want to play your game.. have a nice laptop with a good graphics card? who cares, because its not like you can play the game unless you are connected to a network with internet access...

2. bloated and forced.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK

Originally posted by: Caveman
In all seriousness, what's STEAM?

Can someone give me a small 2-3 sentence concept?

its a lame as5 program you have to install that makes sure your game is updated, and you are using a purchased copy of the game.

why it sucks

1. you have to be connected to the internet if you want to play your game.. have a nice laptop with a good graphics card? who cares, because its not like you can play the game unless you are connected to a network with internet access...

2. bloated and forced.

1) It's called offline mode. Your argument is pointless when you ignore things that make you wrong.

2) It is not that bloated. Check out the memory usage yourself. And it does not slow your game down any noticeable amount. Think otherwise? Then show me benches with and without Steam.

 

[The Sly Syl]

I would talk about steam, but i'm too busy playing Goldeneye: Source and/or Darwinia at the moment. =p

 

[DeathReborn]

I've always found steam annoying, dunno why just was never comfortable with it. I'm all for Internet Content Delivery Systems but I see Steam as just a test run, and not noe that makes me want to use it. All my games that you find on Steam are now collecting dust as I won't use Steam.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK

Originally posted by: Caveman
In all seriousness, what's STEAM?

Can someone give me a small 2-3 sentence concept?

its a lame as5 program you have to install that makes sure your game is updated, and you are using a purchased copy of the game.

why it sucks

1. you have to be connected to the internet if you want to play your game.. have a nice laptop with a good graphics card? who cares, because its not like you can play the game unless you are connected to a network with internet access...

2. bloated and forced.

1) It's called offline mode. Your argument is pointless when you ignore things that make you wrong.

2) It is not that bloated. Check out the memory usage yourself. And it does not slow your game down any noticeable amount. Think otherwise? Then show me benches with and without Steam.

well ive since learned about offline mode. so i stand corrected.. steam often takes forever to load sometimes, and hangs my system alot... im speaking from experience not objective benchmarks...